title: Adiposis dolorosa (Dercum's disease): liposuction as an effective form of treatment.
abstract: The clinical picture of adiposis dolorosa makes a lasting impression on the examining physician. The patient is typically an obese, asthenic woman who appears to have a low pain threshold. She has an unusual distribution of fatty tumors, and her complaint of pain in these tumors seems out of proportion to the physical findings. Alcoholism, emotional instability, and depression are common, and narcotic pain medicine is frequently requested. The patient is easily dismissed as a malingerer after a brief examination. However, liposuctioning of the painful fatty tumors appears to be both practical and effective. While adiposis dolorosa is an unusual disease, it is one that plastic surgeons can recognize and treat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Bowman Gray School of Medicine.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: DeFranzo
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Herring
mesh_terms: D000274:Adiposis Dolorosa / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015187:Lipectomy